Precooler with internal fins



Nov. 28, 1950 H. J.' KELLERSHON PRECOOLER WITH INTERNAL FINS Filed July3, 1948 A INVENTOR. \M\Msmsm wf* @ifi A TTORA/EXS.

3 ns are attached to the wall 29 by solder 42 which forms fillets alongthe entire peripheral edge of the n element 40.

There are openings 44 and 45 (Fig. 3) through the fins 34 and 35,respectively. It is a feature of the construction that these openings 44and 45 extend from a region near the ridge 4l to the fillet provided bythe solder 42. By having these openings extend all the way down to thefillets providedby the solder, the construction provides drainage thatprevents the accumulation of water in what would otherwise be a pocketbetween the lower portion of each n and the side wall 25 of thepre-cooler. Any such pockets in which water could accumulate woulddecrease the eiiiciency of the pre-cooler because the improved re suitsof the pre-cooler are obtained by keeping the water continually inmotion and by constantly bringing different particles of water intocontact with the side wall 29.

Some heat is conducted through the wall 29 and soldered fillets 42 tothe ns so that the water receives heat from the fins, but the transferof heat through the wall 29 to cold water on the other side of the wallis even more direct. The fins 36 and 37 comprise the sloping sides of aiin element 'which is of identical construction with the iin element 40.The ridge 52 of the fin element U, however, is preferably disposed at a4phase angle to the axis of the chamber which is at 90 to the phaseangle of the ridge 4|. The next fin element 53 below the iin element 5dis disposed at the same phase angle to the chamber axis as the finelement 40.

In the construction shown, each successive iin element is located withits ridge atta phase angle to the chamber axis which differs by 90 fromthe phase angle of the next n elements above and below it. It will beunderstood that the successive n elements can be arranged at`other phaseangles with relation to one another, the purpose of the constructionbeing merely to locate the openings through the successive iins so thatmost of the cross section of each opening is located above a surfacearea of the next adjacent fin l below.

In order to make it possible to remove obstructions which may becomelodged in the pre-cooler, the openings through the fins are shaped sothat a portion of each opening over-lies a portion of the correspondingopenings in the iins below. This is illustrated in Figure 3 Where theupper portion of the opening 44 over-lies a part of openings 54 and 55of the n element 53, while the y upper portion of the opening 45over-lies portions Vfin elements.

The center clearance through the pre-cooler, provided by the overlappingopenings of the suc cessive n elements, permits tweezers or a hook orother instrument to be inserted into the precooler to remove any foreignbody that becomes lodged between any of the fin elements, no matter atwhat level in the pre-coolerV the foreign body may be located.

`The warm water on its way to the refrigeration lli unit travels througha conduit in heat exchange relation with the outside of the wall 29.This conduit, in the construction shown, comprises a helical coil ofmetal tubing 5l, which is preferably made of copper. The tubing 6l issecured to the wall 29 by solder 68 which forms iillets that increasethe section of metal through which heat iiows from the tubing 61 intothe wall 29 of the pre-cooler. The lower end of the tubing 61 isconnected with a water main, or other source of water, and the upper endof the tubing 61 has a connection l!! leading to the water inlet of therefrigeration unit i4.

In the manufacture of the apparatus, the iin elements are stacked in themetal tubing 29, one above the other, and the helical metal tubing 61 isplaced around the outside of the metal tubing 29. The parts are thenfluxed and the entire unit is dipped in molten solder. VIn this way thefin elements and all of the convolutions of the tubing 61 are solderedto the metal tubing or wall 29 at said drain of a pre-cooler throughwhich theV water from the drain is discharged, said precooler comprisinga cylindrical chamber having a helical conduit in heat-exchangerelationship with the outside wall of the pre-cooler, the upper end ofsaid helical coil being connected with the supply pipe to therefrigerating unit, and the lower end of said helical conduit beingconnected with a water main, a plurality of fin elements located in thepre-cooler and connected with the inside wall of the pre-cooler, each ofsaid n elements comprising a metal member having a bend providing a highridge across the nn element and iins slop-ing downward on both sides ofsaid ridge,

said fins sloping downward to the the pre-cooler, and said fins havingopenings therein in staggered relation with one another so that thesurfaces of successive iins Yextend under the openings in the respectiven's'above them Yfor the drainage of water through each fin into contactwith the surface of the fin immediately below it. Y

2. In a water cooler of the type having a housing with a basin and awaste water drain from the basin, and having within the housing arefrigeration unit and a refrigeration compartment that is closed by adoor and in which food and drinks can be stored, the combination withsaid housing of a pre-cooler located within the housing in position toreceive water from said drain, a chamber within the pre-cooler throughwhich the waste water runs'n elements within the chamber and attached toa .wall of the chamber around the peripheral edges of said n elements,each of said n elements comprising a metal member having abend providing'a high ridge across the iin element and iins sloping downward on bothsides of said ridge, said ns having openings therein which are invstaggered relation in successive ns so that the surfaces of successive`ns extend under the openings in the sides of respective -iinsaboveIthem; and said ns having sloping surfaces for i diverting the watertoward thewal-liof the chamber, the cross section-ofsaid chamber beingsubstantially `larger than the cross section of the openingthrough whichwaste water from saidf drain enters `the chamber-so that-the waste wateris broken upV into small'massesof water Athat are'4 agitated andf`further divided as they drop through the pre-cooler by gravity againstthe sloping lsurfaces of successive ns, and-at .least sonrie` of theopenings inxthe ns being located in position to drainwater from thespace between-:theywall of` the chamber and the lowermost portions ofthe iins, and a conduit in heatexchanging relation with the outsidel ofthel wall of the chamber of the'pr'eucooler, saidconduit having anupperend. that connects with the water inlet of Athe refrigeration unitand having aconnection at its-lower end for `communication with a` watermainA or other source of water.-

3. In a water cooler of the type having a refrigeration unit and a wastedrain through which unused refrigerated water is discharged to a sewer,the combination with said drain of a precooler having a wall enclosing achamber through which water iiows from the waste drain, a conduit aroundthe outside of the wall and through which water flows to therefrigeration unit in a direction counter to the flow of water throughsaid chamber, iin elements within the chamber connected with the chamberwall, each of said iin elements comprising a metal member having a bendproviding a high ridge across the n element and fins sloping downward onboth sides of said ridge, and the iins on opposite sides of the ridgesloping toward opposite sides of the chamber for directing water intocontact with the wall of the chamber, and said ns having openingstherein in staggered relation with one another, so that the surfaces ofsuccessive iins extend under the openings in the respective ns abovethem, said openings extending substantially to the lowest regions of therespective fins so as to prevent the accumulation of water be tween thechamber wall and the lowest regions of the respective fins, thesuccessive ns in the chamber sloping in different directions so as tocompel the water to follow a tortuous path in contact with differentiins that keep delecting the water toward the wall of the chamber forheat exchanging relation with the wall.

4. The structure described in claim 3 in which the openings through thesuccessive ns are of such shapes that at least a portion of the openingsthrough the different fins overlap the corresponding openings throughother fins that are disposed in a different direction so that there isan unobstructed passage through the center region of the chamber foraccess to foreign material that may become lodged. in the chamber.

5. A pre-cooler comprising a chamber through which waste water runs froma drain and a conduit surrounding a side wall of the chamber for thecounter flow of water from a supply source to a refrigeration unit, finswithin the chamber in spaced relation one above the other and disposedat a slope for deilecting water into contact with the side wall of thechamber, an inlet pipe through which the waste water is introduced intothe upper end of the chamber, said inlet pipe having a cross sectionsubstantially smaller than the open cross section of the chamber so thata solid column of water moving through the inlet is broken up intogroups of deiiected particles within the chamber, the suc- 6 cessivefins Within thechamber" havingl openings thereinu disposed `with aportion of` eachopenirig inr line-with aportionL off-the next Aopeningabove it in' adirection parallel? to the `chamber ax-is So-that there`is an open spacelextendingstraight throughcthe" chamber, and with asolid portion olif-each successive under another portion of theopeningin the n above it.`

6i Apre-'cooler forfthe counter flowof cold i waste water in heatexchanging relation with a stream of warmer water moving to a``refrigeration unit, said pre-cooler comprising a tubular wall'connected with end walls -to form achamber, a helical coili'surroundingthe outsideof the tubular wall and connected tothe outside of the wallbysolder which' provides fillets lfor increasingithe-iareaioffmetalthroughwhich heatis conducted from thecoil tov` the tubular wallfoftli``e:ciia1r1be:n',` a plurality of iin elements stacked one-aboveftheother within the-chamber, each of` thevhn* elements'comprising a metalmember having a substantial right angle providing a high ridge bendacross its mid portion and from which fins slope downward on oppositesides of the ridge, said fins being shaped to contact with the insidewall of the tubular element around the entire periphery of the iinelement, the peripheral edge of each iin element being connected to thetubular element by solder that forms fillets between the rin elementand. the chamber wall, each successive fin element being disposed withits high ridge at a phase angle about the axis of the chamber differingby about from the phase angle of the next succeeding fin element andhaving at least one opening in each of the downwardly sloping sides ofthe fin elements, said openings extending on both sides of each nelement substantially to the fillet provided by the solder along thelowest peripheral portions of the fin element, and said openingsextending upward to regions near the ridge of the 1in element and beingshaped to leave a portion of each opening in an overlapping relationwith the corresponding openings of the next successive n element so thatthere are openings extending straight through the precooler near theaxis of the pre-cooler chamber and at the regions where the successiveiin elements have their highest elevations, and an inlet through whichwater flows into a pre-cooler, said inlet having a cross section of adiameter less than one-half the internal diameter of the chamber in thepre-cooler so that a solid stream of water owing through the inlet isbroken up into particles by the hns in the pre-cooler.

7. In apparatus of the type that supplies refrigerated water and thathas a drain for waste water, the combination with said drain of aprecooler, said pre-cooler having a wall enclosing a chamber throughwhich the waste water passes, a conduit for the passage of supply waterto a refrigerating unit beyond the pre-cooler in a direction opposite tothe direction of flow of the cold waste water through the pre-cooler,said conduit being outside of the wall of the precooler and inheat-exchanging relation with the wall, fin elements within the chamberconnected to the wall, each of said fin elements comprising a metalmember having a bend providing a high ridge across the fin element andns sloping downward on both sides of said ridge, successive n elementshaving their ridges at different phase angles with respect to alongitudinal axis through the chamber so that the ns of successiveelements slope in different directions, said ns having openings thereinthrough which water drops into contact with the next fin below.

8. In apparatus of the type that supplies refrigerated water and thathas a drain for waste water, the combination with said drain of aprecooler, said pre-cooler having a wall enclosing a chamber throughwhich the Waste water passes, a conduit for the passage o f the supplywater to a refrigerating unit along the pre-cooler in a directionopposite to the direction of flow of the cold waste water through thepre-cooler, said conduit being outside of the wall of the precooler andin heat-exchanging relation with the wall, a plurality of n elementslocated one above the other in the chamber and connected with the wallof the chamber, each of said fin elements comprising a metal memberhaving a bend providing a high ridge across the fin element and finssloping downward on both sides of said ridge, each successive finelement having its ridge at a phase angle to the pre-cooler axis 8 whichdiiers by substantially 90 from the phase angle of the next adjacent nelement and each n element having its n extending down into contact withthe ridge of the fin element below it, and each of said ns havingopenings therein through which water drops into contact with the next nbelow. Y

HEINRICH J. KELLERSHON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,664,872 West Apr. 3, 19281,934,371 Muiy Nov. 7, 1933 2,010,504 Askin Aug. 6, 1935 2,276,964 GroveMar. 17, 1942 2,446,289 Love et al. Aug. 3, 1948

